Manmohan Singh condoles passing away of Suchitra Sen

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condoled the passing away of noted actress Suchitra Sen

In a condolence message, Singh said, “Ms. Sen had carved a special niche in the hearts of millions of Indians through her graceful cinematic presence. She was one of the first Indian artistes to win an international award at Moscow in 1963.

“Ms Sen`s versatility and range of performances, in a career spanning nearly three decades, mark a unique contribution to Indian cinema, and to Bengali films in particular,” he added

Sen was admitted to the Belle Vue Clinic on December 23 and was being treated for a respiratory tract infection. In the last couple of days she was placed on ventilator support

Sen began her acting career with the unreleased Bengali film "Shesh Kothai" in 195

Her other famous films included Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955) and Gulzar's Aandhi (1975).

In Bengali cinema, she took part in hits such as Harano Sur, Sagarika, Chaowa Paowa, Agnipariksha, Dweep Jele Jaai and Uttar Falguni

She turned a recluse in 1978 after the failure of her film Pronoy Pasha

Sen was married to Dibanath Sen, the scion of one of Kolkata's most prominent business families. She is survived by her daughter Moon Moon and grand daughters Raima and Riya, all three actresses.